At stake: The Roadrunners are 23-1 (20-0) and ranked No. 1 in Division II men’s basketball. The ThunderWolves are 14-10 (12-8) and fighting for fourth place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

Two national championships, two runner-up finishes, one Final Four appearance and 15 trips into the NCAA tournament in the past 16 seasons prove that point.

And that’s just the men’s program.

So it should come as no surprise that the Roadrunners (23-1, 20-0) would come to Pueblo a day early to practice at Massari Arena, a place that they know all too well, even if it’s for a regular-season Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game.

That is common practice for the No. 1-ranked team in the nation.

“Metro takes a very serious approach to men’s basketball and they have the financial commitment and backing to travel to places early, even if it’s 100 miles down the road,” Colorado State University-Pueblo men’s head coach Ralph Turner said as his team plays host to Metro tonight in a men’s/women’s doubleheader.

Then again, the ThunderWolves (14-10, 12-8) have earned a little bit of extra attention from the RMAC’s basketball giant.

The Pack lost 94-92 earlier this season in Denver. And it beat Metro State 70-69 last season in Denver.

“The biggest part of this is not to be afraid,” Turner said. “Sometimes guys can’t get past being intimidated. Last year proved that any team can get beat on any given night.

“It’s like Mike Tyson. Everyone was afraid of him and intimidated until he lost for the first time. After that, everyone knew he was beatable.”

The Pack’s one-point win last season ended a 15-year losing streak to Metro.

Earlier this season, the Pack lost by two and had a chance to tie the game with seconds remaining, but failed to convert at the free throw line.

“We were 23-of-38 from the line in that game and we lose by two,” Turner said.

The Roadrunners were an impressive 27-of-29 from the line in that game.

Turner said the Roadrunners are “rolling. They are a great team and they are playing great basketball. There’s no question that we will have our hands full.”

The Pack women (20-6, 17-3) sewed up the No. 2 seed in the RMAC tournament next week. So the ThunderWolves’ game against the Roadrunners (12-12, 11-9) tonight could have a bearing on the regional rankings.